Footlight Glamour

This is a pretty good Blondie in the series - it combines life in the Depression era, comedy, and a rare appearance of Mrs. Dithers.

Mr. Dithers has a friend whose daughter is "obsessed" with being in the theatre. Naturally, he volunteers Dagwood to take care of her while he and his friend conduct business. The Bumsteads get involved in her schemes to bring the theatre to their town. Among those involved in her production for the USO is Mr. Crum, and Mrs. Dithers. This is funny and gets you into the theatre production literally.

This is the 14th film in the "Blondie" film series. Alvin (Danny Mummert) comes over to the Bumstead home to ask Dagwood (Arthur Lake) a favor for his mother. His mother wants Dagwood to take the clock in to be repaired. But when Dagwood mistakes the clock for a can of peaches, he destroys the clock with the can opener. Now he owes Alvin five dollars or a new clock. Alexander (Larry Simms) says they were eating applesauce for breakfast. Blondie (Penny Singleton) is trying to find a way to get more ration books. Cookie (Marjorie Ann Mutchie) now answers the phone politely. Ann savage (Detour [1945]) plays "Vicki Wheeler" who gets the Bumsteads and even the postman involved in a stage play for the USO (United Service Organizations). The next film in the series is LEAVE IT TO BLONDIE.

A little bit of Arthur Lake (as Dagwood or anybody else) is more than enough, and usually too much, but this entry, set in mid-WW II,ranks as one of the best in the series, especially in the segments involving the stage play, and more so when Jonathan Withers and Thurston Hall stroll across the stage totally unaware a live play is being presented.

In an effort to help fund the wartime USO, B and D help put on a stage play that, of course, turns into a crowd pleasing loony-bin.

To me, the entry's mainly a matter of taste, the last part becoming silly slapstick. This, I think, takes away from the priceless D and B characters whose special brand of character comedy distinguishes the series. After all, slapstick trades on pratfalls that require no special acting talent of the sort Lake and Singleton have in abundance. But if you like slapstick, this is your ticket.

(In passing-Oh my gosh, is that really Ann Savage playing the immaculately turned-out Vicki. As a teen, I stayed away from girls for maybe a day after seeing Savage's scary roadside tramp in that classic noir, Detour (1945). I wish they gave Oscars for best vixen of the year, that way she'd have a well-deserved lifetime award.) (Also, with Singleton's re-done hair-do for the play, she could pass for Lucille Ball's double in I Love Lucy. To me, the resemblance is striking. See what you think.)

Anyway, the flick's a good chance to catch some restrictions the war effort (1943) placed on civilians of the time. I recall my parents having to deal with them, especially with gasoline rationing. I'll bet audiences of the time felt a special bond with B and D as they shared in the same sacrifices, even if it was on film. Of course the B and D laughs helped.

This is the fourteenth in the Blondie movie series and also the second one without her name in the entry title. It was also originally supposed to be the final one in the series for Columbia Pictures but after popular demand increased during the next year that there were no further adventures of the Bumstead family, it was revived with the cast intact. Anyway, Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake could still be heard as Blondie and Dagwood on live radio during that time. This one has Dag and Blondie entertaining a grown daughter of another of Mr. Dithers' potential clients. Since she's an actress, there's also a play involved. I'll stop there and just say this was amusing in spots but only occasionally becomes a bit hilarious like when Mr. Crumb, the mailman, (Irving Bacon in his final appearance in the series) does an exaggerated English accent when playing the butler. One scene which is now very tasteless is when Dag originally thought this Vicki person he was supposed to pick up was a little girl and initially caused a commotion mistaking just such a child for her. I did like it when Blondie had those thoughts of tanks in battle when she always gets jealous appearing again here before she then takes a shine to Vicki because she thinks Blondie has potential as an actress. Daisy's and her pups reactions when seeing Dagwood make his trademark sandwiches was also good for a laugh. In summary, Footlight Glamour is one of the weaker ones in the series. P.S. This was perhaps the only time Mrs. Cora Dithers was seen on screen. She was portrayed by Grace Hayle. Like I said, Irving Bacon made his final appearance as the mailman character who was initially called Mr. Beasley before becoming Mr. Crump and then the name I mentioned earlier in this review. He continued acting to his final day on February 5, 1965. This was also the final one directed by Frank R. Strayer who continued making movies through the early '50s. He died on February 3, 1964.